Absorbent articles of the above mentioned kind are intended to absorb body liquids such as urine and blood. They usually comprise a liquid pervious bodyside liner, intended to be facing the wearer during use. The liner may be a nonwoven material, an apertured plastic film or a laminate of a nonwoven material and an apertured film. It is known to incorporate a liquid transfer layer between the liner and the absorbent core, said liquid transfer layer having the ability to quickly receive large amounts of liquid, to distribute it and temporarily store it before it is absorbed by the underlying absorbent core. This is important especially in today's thin compressed absorbent bodies often with a high amount of so called superabsorbents, which have a high liquid absorption and storage capacity but in many cases a too low absorption speed in order to momentaneously be able to absorb the large amount of liquid that can be discharged during a few seconds at urination.
A porous relatively thick liquid transfer layer, for example in the form of a fibrous wadding, a carded fibrous web or other type of fibrous material, has a high momentaneous liquid receiving capacity and can temporarily store liquid before it is absorbed by the absorbent body. The same applies for porous foam materials. The liquid is then drained successively to the underlying absorbent core, after which the transfer layer again has capacity to receive liquid from a repeated wetting.
Examples of absorbent articles comprising such porous liquid transfer layer are for example disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,371,667, EP-A-0,312,118 and EP-A-0,474,777.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,908,026 discloses an absorbent article having a liquid pervious liner containing a plurality of perforations. The article further contains a flow zone control layer arranged between the perforated liner and the absorbent core.
WO 99/49825 discloses a material laminate for use as an outer liner on an absorbent article. The laminate comprises a first liquid pervious fibrous material layer and a second porous and resilient material layer, wherein the two material layers have been fused together in a pattern of bonding sites.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,613,960 discloses a fibrous liquid transfer layer disposed between the topsheet and the absorbent core, and wherein the liquid transfer layer is intermittently fused to the topsheet in a direction of thickness to improve fluid flow into the core.
WO 97/02133 discloses a laminate comprising an apertured film and a compressible material in the form of a nonwoven. The film and the nonwoven layer are bonded together to form a series of valleys and peaks.
WO 00/37249 discloses a composite laminate web comprising a first layer in the form of an apertured nonwoven and a second layer in the form of an apertured film, which are bonded together.
WO 96/40513 discloses a laminate comprising a first film layer and a second fibrous layer bonded together in a spaced apart bonding pattern. Apertures are formed in the bonded areas.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,591,149 discloses a laminate in the form of an apertured film that is fused to an acquisition web at discrete points of attachment.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,781,962 discloses a laminate comprising a perforated film an a nonwoven which is fused to the film in the areas of the perforations, so as to mask and restrict fluid flow through the perforations.
A problem that may occur is that conventional bodyside liner materials used for absorbent articles sometimes have a lower acquisition rate for liquid than the liquid transfer layer, at which liquid can leak out from the article before it reaches the liquid transfer layer. Another problem is that liquid that has been absorbed by the liquid transfer layer may leak out again through the liner and cause so called rewet and a wet feel to the wearer. The interaction between the bodyside liner and the liquid transfer layer is therefore of importance in order to quickly absorb the discharged liquid and to prevent rewet and provide a dry surface to the wearer.